Surgeon's work in African country 'life changing'

Monday

Nov 24, 2008 at 12:01 AMNov 24, 2008 at 9:39 PM

Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Kenneth Paonessa will celebrate Thanksgiving dispensing medical care in Ghana. This will be his fifth trip to the African country, where, with other medical professionals, he performs surgery on patients through the Foundation for Orthopedics and Complex Spine Inc.

This will be his fifth trip to the African country, where, with other medical professionals, he performs surgery on patients through the Foundation for Orthopedics and Complex Spine Inc. Founded by Dr. Oheneba Boachie-Adjei in 1988, FOCOS recruits medical experts from around the world to operate on patients twice a year in Accra, the capital of Ghana.

“When you volunteer like this you get as much as you give. I come back from a trip like this invigorated to take care of my patients here better,” said Paonessa, a member of the Norwich Orthopedic Group.

“People in the U.S. don’t have any idea of how privileged we are,” he said.

Paonessa said working in Ghana is “life changing.”

“So many patients are appreciative of the time we take,” he said. “I feel like I’m giving back and using my skills to help people.”

Paonessa said many patients come in with deformities that would have been addressed much earlier in the United States. Sometimes he sees deformities that have been left untreated so long, he doesn’t know if he can help. The challenge, he said, is to hide the shock from the patient, and do what he can.

He has encouraged his colleagues to join him in volunteering. This year, he has recruited Erin Cummings, an orthopedic nurse, and Jared Glenney, a surgical technician. Both work with Paonessa at The William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich.

One reason patients in Ghana go without care is the lack of doctors. There are 12 orthopedic surgeons for 20 million people in Ghana, he said.

People there also suffer from diseases not usually seen in the United States, such as tuberculosis, which can move from the bloodstream into the bones, creating deformities in children.

The opportunity to help children was what impressed Glenney, who will make his first trip to Ghana in April.

“The surgeries are done mostly on the very young — including a lot of teenage kids ... and when you see them progressively recover and hold their head up straight for the first time, it’s inspiring,” Glenney said. “I just thought it was tremendous work (Paonessa) was doing over there.”

Battling a crippling deformity isn’t the only challenge the children have.

“These kids are ostracized. They aren’t part of society. If you develop a tumor and can’t walk, your family won’t be able to afford to bring you to the U.S. or to Europe and you’re out of luck,” Paonessa said.

Paonessa said people flock to Ghana from other African countries when the doctors arrive. During his last trip, eight doctors performed 35 surgeries in a week.

The doctors work in pairs, operating for a four-day stretch, then doing clinic duty for one day. This year, Paonessa will go for a week and a half.

When he returns home, Paonessa said he feels like a better doctor. In addition to correcting deformities in patients, the trip gives him the chance to work with doctors from different countries, gaining new techniques and perspectives from them, he said.

FOCUS does more than surgeries. It also is conducting a fundraising campaign to raise money to build its own hospital in Ghana.

Currently it uses the local hospital in Accra, whose equipment, Paonessa said, is comparable to the 1940s. He said the surgeons wear mining hats during operations because the facility is subject to power failures.

Cummings, an orthopedic nurse, also is looking forward to her trip.

“I’m just hoping to provide skills I have to help people in desperate need of it, to be able to just change someone’s life,” she said.